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Kenaan
KENAAN ‘Fall down six times get up seven. We may be beaten but never defeated’ Nickname: The Horsemen Languages: Kenaani Population: Säuger 90%, Eluvian 5% and Drummon: 5% Government: Adan (king) and council of judges Leadership: Adan Eshmon Lifestyle: Some nomadic, some settled cities SOCIETY The people of Kenaan occupy a difficult place in the world. Their lands, in the northern part of the continent, are not as fertile as the south and west regions. Much of the lands are arid desert and semi-arid steppes, and not at all favorable for farming. Thus the people of Kenaan have long been adapted to a nomadic lifestyle, herding domestic animals across the land to find them food from month to month. Thus the Kenaani people have strong family loyalties. The Kenaani people live in clans, where families are bound together to protect their herds, their food and resources. The Kenaani people are accustomed to fighting the world for every gain, for food and for shelter, for any resource. They are equally prepared to fight to keep what they have, making them suspicious of outsiders. Over many centuries, the lifestyle of the Kenaani has changed. Technology and magic together have helped control the landscape enough to allow permanent settlements and cities to be established. The clans of Kenaan are now divided into those who still maintain a nomadic lifestyle and those who have settled and become builders. There are more than thirty clans in modern Kenaan. Each town or city of Kenaan belongs solely to one clan, and often houses the entire membership of the clan, although this can be thousands of Sauger. Those clans that have settled are fiercely defensive of their clan territories and farmlands surrounding their city – and just as fiercely proud of their cities and palaces, raised from the harsh ground into beautifully carved edifice of stone. The Kenaani people are a very devout people, respecting the wisdom of the Dedicated of the gods and their Clan elders. Halb in particular is acknowledged as the giver of knowledge and wisdom in leadership, and priests of Halb are sought by all leaders of Kenaan for their guidance. Thus the Dedicated of Halb have an unusual level of influence in the societies of Kenaan. The clans of Kenaan have sometimes been in conflict over the centuries, but usually they are united under the leadership of one dynastic leader, a king, known as the Adan. Each of the clans is led 37 by a family who claims blood ties to the first Adan, thus giving the noble families a divine right to rule the clans. These leaders are known as Dume (of the blood). The Dume are advised by a council of elders, always including one or more priests of Halb (and occasionally other Dedicated) and also leaders of other major families or sometimes individuals appointed for their wisdom or merit. Members of these advisory councils are called sufete, meaning ‘judge’, and indeed they fulfill the role of lawmakers in the clans. The Adan is still a member and leader of a clan, and thus is advised by his own council of sufete, but that council often includes representatives from other clan leaders as well. The Adan can issue orders to his subordinates among the Dume of all clans relating to territory or martial defense matters, but the Adan nor his own clansman have any direct influence in the internal affairs of any other clan. As undisputed descendants of an avatar, the Dume of Kenaan feel a certain right to rule. Most are comfortable to define their rule as over their clan’s people, and receive the loyalty of the clansmen with respect. However some of the Dume believe their divine inheritance gives them an innate superiority over other Sauger. Needless to say this has not helped their reputation, and often the Kenaani people are seen as arrogant or pompous. Further, Kenaan has a long history of conflict with other nations, driven by their need for resources and survival in their undoubtedly harsh lands. The repeated attempts at invasion of nearby nations and the Kenaani’s fierce resistance to outsiders compound the impression of Kenaani arrogance. This is not always a correct view, as most Kenaani clans people are generous and devoted to their people. However their individual attitude can be that of resignation to the harsh realities of life, and this is often interpreted by foreigners as resentfulness or bitterness. Below the Dume and the sufete council, membership of the clan is granted to citizens only by blood. That means each member of the clan is a direct descendent of a family of the clan. Very occasionally a foreigner will be permitted to join a clan, but only by marriage to a clan member. The Kenaani people believe that family ties are strongest and defined by blood. Thus foreign born Sauger or Drummon and Eluvian members of clans are extremely rare. But there are a significant number of Eluvian and Drummon ‘guests’ among the city clans, families or individuals who have skills valued by the clan. These guests are given space and protection and rights as would any other clan member – save that they may never be leaders, members of the Dume or sufete. Foreigners are much more uncommon among the nomadic clans. Clan membership and protection comes with a burden – each family and individual must fulfill a useful role in the clan. Every child born into a family has their role predestined – they will learn to do what their parents do, as their grandparents did before, and so on. Priest, warrior, farmer, herder, well-digger, tailor, mason – every role has a family (or several) in each clan. There is no choice for a child of Kenaan. However, sometimes there is imbalance in the roles required – one family may have too many children, another not enough to complete their duties. In any such case, children are adopted from one family to another. Thus is it not uncommon for a family to be made up of siblings who are not blood related, but all of the same blood of their clan and united by their adoptive parents’ training. Adoptions usually occur only within the clan – movement between clans occurs through arranged marriage. This controlled family structure also results in parents and other authorities having great direction over the lives of the children. Marriages are usually arranged for the benefit of the clan. Individuals sometimes choose their marriage partners, but the pairing must be accepted as appropriate by the families involved – or approved by the clan Dume. LAW The legal structure of the clans is generally consistent, but each clan may have slightly different rules and laws in some areas. Generally laws are very straightforward – laws against murder, assault, stealing, etc. Dereliction or absconding from duties, loss of clan resources or betrayal of the clan can also be punished under law as treason. 38 Within a clan the sufete, the judges and advisors to the noble clan bloodline, perform most tasks relating to law. The sufete appoint and oversee individuals responsible for policing of all rules and laws as well as taxes and distributing resources. Lawbreakers are brought before a delegation of sufete for judgment, and are expected to defend themselves against any accusations brought against them. Members of the clan are permitted to speak for a family member accused of breaking a law, but outsiders without family to help them are often harshly punished. The Dume rarely involve themselves in matters of law directly – unless they have a personal interest in the individual or matter at hand. Punishments can be very harsh, including execution, beating or whipping or maiming of perpetrators in extreme cases. Imprisonment is not uncommon among the city clans, but among the nomadic clans this is impossible. Physical punishment and execution by abandonment in the desert is more likely in the nomadic clans, while in the city imprisonment and forced labor is more likely. EDUCATION AND TRAINING The Guilds were not readily accepted among the clans of Kenaan, as the society has been long attached to training its own people in family tradition. However perseverance by the Guilds has led to a comfortable compromise in Kenaan. Guilds have established their place in the cities and settlements of Kenaan, presenting training to the clans people, but they are carefully governed by the sufete of each clan. Most teachers at the guild houses are Kenaani themselves, belonging to the clan of that region, which minimize the foreign impact that the guilds might otherwise present. Youths are sent to the guild houses to learn specialized skills, or to free up the time of their parents so they do not have to teach the basics of their family skills. But the youths do not get to choose the guild they join, or what they learn – their family dictates the learning needed for the benefit of the clan. MAGIC Magic is even less well accepted among the Kenaani people than the Guilds or other foreign customs. The Kenaani people fought for a long time against the Eluvian people, before the establishment of the nation of Eluvia or the influence of the High King. Thus the concepts of magic were actively resisted by the Kenaani clans as a whole. Generations of Adan refused to allow the learning or use of magic by any people of Kenaan. However, it has been inevitable that this stance change, and slowly over the centuries magic has been allowed to creep into Kenaan society. It is indisputable that elemental magic improves the process of building their treasured cities, and allows the creation of items of beauty or wielding of destructive power beyond that which mortal craftsmen can achieve. But it is just that power that also raises the suspicion of the devout people of Kenaan. Power over the world is the domain of the gods. Kenaani mages are careful not to flaunt their power, and they often choose to display a careful deference the skills of craftsmen and to the gods through extra efforts of worship. RELIGION The Kenaani people are a very devout people, respecting the wisdom of the Dedicated of the gods and their Clan elders. Halb in particular is acknowledged as the giver of knowledge and wisdom in leadership, and priests of Halb are sought by all leaders of Kenaan for their guidance. Thus the Dedicated of Halb have an unusual level of influence in the societies of Kenaan. There are Houses to all Dedicated in every city and settlement in Kenaan. Among the nomadic clans, it is still important to have priests to guide the people. Priests from nomadic clans are sometimes sent to be trained at settled monastic-like Houses, or sometimes trained as acolytes to the travelling clan priests without leaving their clan. Artefacts of value to the faithful Kenaani are transported in mobile shrines, and some established shrines are placed at meeting places on the steppes and in the desert. 39 TRADE AND INDUSTRY The environment of Kenaan is not encouraging for preparing trade goods of most kinds. Animal products including meats, leather and wool are available from the nomadic clans, and are often traded with the city clans for needed resources. The city clans then trade this with other clans and foreigners. The city clans also trade to foreigners valuable metals and some foodstuffs and manufactured goods such as cloth. NAMES AND LANGUAGE The Kenaani people have a language of which they are proud, as for any of their achievements. Writings in Kenaani, engraved permanently in stone or metal, can be found in almost every building and structure in the land, citing the masons and the designers and even the clan leader or king responsible for the construction. Records and histories are kept in meticulous order by each clan, detailing everything from births and marriages to harvests and individual taxes. It is said you can find a record for anything at all in Kenaan, written down somewhere. The language can also be complex, with different formal registers of language used for speaking to superiors, or in worship, or in daily life, etc. Therefore it is crucial that every citizen know their language and their letters very well. The Kenaani language is used by most citizens and every citizen must be literate. Very often citizens of the cities are fully literate in Creole and even other foreign languages as well – better to allow record keeping and communication for trade. Citizens of the nomadic clans less often learn foreign languages. Names in Kenaan often follow family patterns, with children named for their parents, grandparents or in honour of some other important individual. Each family has a surname and also identifies as part of their Clan. It is not uncommon to find many people with the same name within a family, all named after an honoured head of the house for example. In this case nicknames or alternate names develop, but rarely are nicknames used by anyone but close friends and family. Female: Ashera, Beyath, Corianda, Danal, Elassa, Hanno, Miri, Qophe Male: Adanus, Astoreth, Baltyar, Eshmon, Heran, Samek, Taneth, Zayin, Family: Amrat, Sinon, Qana, Danaan, Meydun, Suraat, Ghiyat, Hasurat, Clan names (examples): Aleph, Phylosar, Qanayal, Suur, Zakrun, Hamal DRESS The hot and often dry climate in the regions of Kenaan has the greatest influence on the dress of its people. Those from the nomadic clans especially favour practical clothing, long sleeved tunics and pants or robes for keeping out the wind and dust when walking or riding. Simple colours, or natural fabric colours are most often used for practical garments. In the cities there is more opportunity for consideration of fashion and decoration, and clothes tend to be a little more ostentatious and varied. In either setting, colour is rarely added to simple clothing – rather it is made as an addition such as a coloured scarf, hat, vest or jewelry. In this way, it is easy to protect the decorative elements while allowing the simple clothes to be repaired or replaced when they are inevitably damaged by the harsh environment. Jewelry is popular for both genders and worn in large amounts. Bracelets and ankle rings, finger rings, necklaces and torques, piercings of many kinds and jewelry circlets for holding back hair are all worn – often in several layers at once. 40 HISTORY The earliest records of the Kenaani people are not dated in a fashion familiar to modern scholars. The Kenaani seem to have been keen to write about things that happened, but their earliest writing leave no signs with which to date their tales. It is believed that the first king, known himself as Adan, was a true Avatar of Halb, a wise and noble leader who arose to unite the clans when they were in conflict. The many children of Adan married and joined each and every one of the clans of Kenaan, thus uniting the clans. However none can say how many generations have passed since the time of Adan. All that is known is that it was some time prior to the calamity of the Red Sky and the rise of the High King. The relationship between Kenaan and the other nations of Dantir is more often than not a bitter one. The naturally harsh environment of Kenaan has led to the Kenaani people attempting to claim territory and resources from their neighbors in an almost constant conflict over centuries. Nomadic clans in particular can be opportunistic and when in need raid resources from nearby Toraneya. It is pointless to attempt to date all the occurrences of these conflicts. Full scale efforts of invasion by the Kenaani clans of the fertile lands of Toraneya and Eluvia have occurred more than once over many centuries since the time of the Red Sky, and these are better dated. However each major invasion attempt has been defeated. Even with the tradition of the High King, there have often been bitter political relations between Kenaan and all of its neighbors. The final insult arose some decades ago when Kenaan was invaded by the Avantine Empire. The harbor city of Haspurund was the first to fall to the invaders, and almost half of Kenaan was overrun by the invaders before the High King was able to intervene with armies. The Avantine were driven back, but the High King forced the Kenaani to cede the city of Haspurund to the Avantine people – nominally to avoid a full scale war across the whole continent. The Kenaani clans are now ever alert for another attempt at invasion by the strangers from the northern sea. ENVIRONMENT The lands of Kenaan are mostly harsh to its inhabitants. The far east and north of the lands are truly arid, a desert with little ability to sustain life. The majority of the land is high steppes, a semi-arid terrain with few trees and little open water. Temperatures vary between very hot summers and very cold winters, where day and night can both be devastating to those caught without shelter. The far west of Kenaan has a somewhat less harsh environment, where it borders the hills of Toraneya. It is here that the most settlements can be found. In the south and the east the land comes down to meet the great lake and the seashore– but here the lands can be most dangerous. Despite being a more fertile region, this land is a constant battleground with orax who raid from the rugged lands east. Few settlements survive in this region, and the Kenaani clans are forced to constantly battle orax raiding bands and the occasional orax invasion. PLACES OF INTEREST Deep in the harshest of the lands of Kenaan, there is said to be a city dedicated to the gods – known as Tyron. Some say it is a sacred place visited by those devoted to Halb alone, others believe that it is a meeting place for all where once all the clans could came together, long before any other city was built – before the days of Adan. Either way, the truth to the city is now lost under the dust of ages. Centuries ago the city was abandoned after a great famine. Occasionally a Dedicated of Halb or other young adventurer attempts to make their way to the lost city – seeking wisdom or guidance or just glory of finding Tyron. No magic can assist the way – Tyron was abandoned long before magic can to Kenaan. The journey is so dangerous that rarely do any return. Those few who have returned do not speak of what they experienced there – it is regarded as a sacred journey, the experience of which cannot be shared with mere words. How others see the Kenaani people: Avantine – While strong of sword they are weak of heart. They would make a perfect prefecture in our Empire. Eluvian – Opportunists but strong enough to be more than mere jackals. I don't trust them. Drummon – They know not their purpose. If only they could be trusted we would help them. But their need drives them. And their superiority means they cannot see when they are wrong. Toraneya – Our oldest rival and our greatest lamentation. If only they could give us the chance to make them better than they are. Jorgenwyld – Such strength. Such whining. They care too much about being the best to actually be the best. Randwelt – If only they could overcome their own inadequacies such a better ally they would make. Ekhai Lāhui – Being greatest is worthless when you are the only one left. Better to be average but happy Septoria – Ah the Clansmen. Their constant need to escape the lot dealt to them makes them eager Category:Nations